Rush!

Today marked the final day of the "countdown" - the countdown to when my sister could go back to normal life. She works in the philanthropy/event department at Rush Hospital and they have finished the new hospital and have had 9 events in the past 10 days. Today was the community day so we got to take a look before they start admitting patients in January.

Terrarium in the main lobby.

Liz spotted this dedication plaque, just two days before we were there!

The Hospital is unbelievable. It was planned through interviews with several work groups including architects, physicians, nurses, patients, etc. It was originally shaped like a square but the nurses advised that they needed clear sight lines to all patients and less steps to get to them, so the sides were pinched in and "the butterfly" was born.

Our tour was fantastic, we got to see the patient rooms, the nurses stations, the operating rooms, the ER, the ambulance bay, and a few other sights. At each "tour spot" we had a speaker to give us some fun facts. My favorite was the speaker at the nurses station ;-)

The views were amazing...ever from the OR we were in you could see the John Hancock Tower. But what is more amazing is all the technology. All the computers are synched and are in every room, plus each patient has a wireless "pack" that stores all their medical information that they take with them everywhere - only place in the USA with such technology. Flow was designed with patients and families in mind, the only place families cannot go are the OR and the Level 1 Recovery Room.

The thought and science that were put into everything is astounding. Dry wall ends 1 inch before the ground (there are rubber baseboards) so that if there was a spill the walls would not absorb the bacteria. There are so many green initiatives that the hospital is currently apply for a gold standard LEED certification which would make them the only hospital in the Midwest to hold such a title. I could go on and on, if you are interested in learning more, check out THIS SITE.

Then we celebrated with a great dinner at Tarantino's - yum!

Congratulations on a job very well done Kel!